WikiTok

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Wikipedia as Content Source & Comprehensibility

  • Several comments note that many Wikipedia pages, especially in math and technical domains, are hard to understand unless you already know the topic; they function more as reference than teaching.
  • Some point out that other areas (e.g., history, battles) are much more readable and contextual.
  • A few suggest pairing random articles with LLMs or videos to simplify or introduce concepts, especially for advanced math topics.

What’s New vs Wikipedia “Random Page”

  • Core difference: TikTok-style infinite scroll, prominent image + short summary, and very low-friction “next article” interaction.
  • Some users say they’d happily kill time on this but not on Wikipedia’s native random feature, precisely because the format makes quick “interesting or not?” decisions easy.

Addictiveness, Algorithms, and Ethics

  • Many find the app instantly addictive and see it as a way to redirect doomscrolling toward something more educational.
  • Strong interest in a recommendation algorithm (likes, dwell time, categories, graph-based neighbors) to steer away from boring pages and into “rabbit holes.”
  • Others warn about echo chambers and the broader social-media pattern of algorithms amplifying negative/attention-grabbing content; some explicitly want to keep pure randomness or at least offer a “random mode.”

Implementation Details & API Considerations

  • The app is entirely frontend, calling the permissive Wikipedia API directly; no backend.
  • Discussion of CORS vs same-origin policy, use of CORS proxies, and ideas like preloading next articles or using GitHub Actions / static JSON to reduce latency and load.
  • Developer reports talking with Wikimedia to ensure traffic is acceptable.

UX Feedback, Content Issues, and Feature Ideas

  • Requests: basic personalization, bookmarks/likes, language support (e.g., Korean), open in mobile Wikipedia app, mobile-specific URLs, better desktop layout, less pixelated images.
  • Concerns about repetitive uninteresting pages (e.g., many US place names) and occasional NSFW content; suggestions to filter or rank content and optionally exclude people/places.
  • Many propose adding TTS, short auto-generated videos, influencer-style 30s summaries, and even Minecraft/Subway Surfers-style background clips.

Related Projects & Comparisons

  • Users mention similar apps (WikTok, Wikijumps, Information Superhighway, egghead-style scrollers) and compare the experience to classic StumbleUpon / “random web page” surfing.